Departure Song

Departure Song

I left my home
              one morning
              towards the end
                            of May,
and I took a taxi
       and the bittersweet
                    tango music
                    from the radio
brushed upon the streets
                    on my way to the bus station.

There I was,
sitting in an old cafe,
killing time before departure,
       sipping coffee,
       nibbling on croissants...

and my mom
      just kept on smiling,
      maybe he’ll change his mind,
                    she probably thought
      maybe he’ll get cold feet,
                    she muttered to herself,
      maybe he’ll be back in four or five months,
      maybe things will improve around here...
                                                  and my son
                                                   will soon be back...

And I stepped
          upon the coach bus,
I was carrying not too much,
In a matter of
                 just hours
I was walking
                all alone,
In a city of ten million,
               North to South
               and East to West,
mesmerized
              by the sounds,
blending into
              the crowd,
browsing at
              the bookstores,
stopping for a beer
              every now and then.

Late at night I found
             some shelter,
             just a room where I collapsed,
and the window I left open,
            taking in the city lights,
and I knew
           that I was never,
           going back to my home town.

© Eytán Lasca-Szalit , 2002